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Thursday, September 3, 2009

That's A Lot of Cole Slaw

When I think of "state fair," I visualize shiny, plump vegetables and groomed livestock and jars of prize-winning jam. I have to admit that I'm a sucker for the exhibits, but for the past two years—because of certain small children who were too pooped after all the rides—we haven't been able to spend any time strolling through the various buildings that house the many fair entries.

This year I vowed that we would go check out the exhibits, and we did. It meant we didn't leave the fair until late in the evening and I was exhausted from all the walking, but here you go . . .

People picture Alaska encased in snow and ice year-round, but we do have a summer season. It's short, but sweet, and our midnight sun allows for some pretty amazing gardens. One of the most popular categories at our State Fair centers around the biggest vegetables grown each particular year, and 2009 produced some doozies. This 90-pound cabbage is nothing, considering that the grand champion weighed over 125 pounds!! In fact, this year's winning cabbage made it into the book of Guinness World Records. That's right, Texas. We grow 'em big in Alaska, too.

This zucchini tipped the scale at just over 25 pounds.

There's nothing cuter than little piglets . . .

. . . and nothing uglier than a big ol' fat lazy mama pig.

Present company excluded, of course.

Hey! I resemble that remark!

My absolute favorite exhibit? The quilts! Oh, they're wonderful. This is just one small area. The rest of the quilts hang from the ceiling, and line the walls, and are stacked in piles on tables. They are so beautiful and represent such creativity and hard work, I could spend all day just looking at the quilts.

I had to take a picture of this winner in the sewing category. I sewed a couple of dresses this past winter but they sure didn't look like this beauty. Thanks, Captain Obvious, for your hand at the edge of the picture, making sure we notice the spectacular train on this gown.

This is one of the peaks on a range that encircles Palmer, where the fairgrounds are located. If you put on a pair of magnifying glasses, you just might be able to make out my daughter's red balloon floating away to the left of that mountain. Good-bye, balloon. And good-bye, State Fair. We'll meet again next year: same place, same time.

3 comments:

We were thinking about going to one of the fairs this year but the line to get off the exit of the Interstate stretched back for miles. The Tennessee State Fair actually is now too dangerous to attend. The word got out in the early 90s that there were gun-toting thugs hanging out there -- whether it was true or not, most people were scared away and it stopped being a family-friendly place.